


Sketches

by lexi5421



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-30 01:36:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10866324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lexi5421/pseuds/lexi5421
Summary: A waitress working a graveyard shift takes interest in the face of a stranger





	Sketches

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RCA71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RCA71/gifts).



> Thank you so much for choosing to read this. I haven't written anything in a while and I really wanted to get back to it and my original characters. Please feel free to send me comments, ideas, or critiques!

Marie stood behind the counter, absently doodling in the drawing pad she kept stashed under the surface for nights where customers were sparse and her shift didn’t end until dawn. It was all she could do to stay awake, between drawing and the multiple mugs of coffee she had essentially inhaled. The only other person, besides her, in the twenty-four hour diner was the cook snoozing in the back office. She released a soft yawn, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she balanced her elbow on the metal countertop. Her eyes were closed for a beautiful second until the bell above the door chimed, signaling someone entering the restaurant. Her head jerked up to greet the patron, a tall man with long hair.

“Hey there! Welcome to Mike’s Diner. Sit anywhere you’d like.” She gave him a kind smile and he nodded in acknowledgement, taking the booth farthest from the door. When she believed he had settled down- she was unsure because he neglected to remove his coat even though it was warm inside- she wandered over to the table with a notepad in hand. “What can I get you to drink, hon?” She removed the pen from behind one ear, replacing it with the pencil she reserved for drawing. His face remained neutral, minus the left corner of his mouth which curved up just so, a sign of being amused that she nearly missed.

“A coffee would be swell.” He looked up, briefly meeting her eyes. She flashed him another smile before turning to fix his coffee while making a mental note to draw that curve of his lips, something that would keep her occupied until the end of her shift. Setting the mug of hot coffee on the table, she looked back at him.

“Anything to eat tonight?” He shook his head, not speaking more than necessary. “Well, let me know if you want something. I’ll be at the counter. Just call.” She returned to her spot behind the bar, slipping her drawing pad from its hiding spot once more and opening to a clear page. With a quick glance in his direction, she began sketching the shape of his face, making sure to take extra care on his jawline. Once she was satisfied with that, she looked up again to begin on the lips. Sure, his eyes were important, but that half-smirk was something she craved in her art.

Her strokes were light and swift, carefully capturing the nearly-symmetrical lips, adding a bit more volume to the lower lip. When it came to that corner, though, she couldn’t get it just right. She was frustrated at her mistakes, so she moved onto the eyes. Their wider shape was easy to capture, as were his long eyelashes that she admired and was envious of. With a glance at the clock, she noticed an hour had ticked by. With a glance to check on him, she was assured that she had a few more minutes with his nose before the unsuspecting model needed a refill.

She was intent on capturing the exact elements that worked his nose into the rest of his face, though it wasn’t difficult; there were no imperfections to get hung up on like most people. After she was satisfied there, she quickly sketched out his long hair, leaving it as untamed as its inspiration. To finish, she moved back to the mouth, obsessing over the smirk. She carefully erased the left edge once more, trying to exactly draw it as her memory showed.

A mug was set in front of her bent head as she hovered over the sketch, intently scribbling away. As she heard the sound, she jumped, straightening immediately. “I am so sorry. I got a bit off track and completely forgot about your refill.” Her hands trembled as she turned around to grab the pot of coffee. When she turned back, however, her sketch pad was in his hand. “Wait!” She spoke quickly, not wanting to seem odd for drawing an unsuspecting customer in the middle of the night. As he examined it, she stood frozen, unable to move for fear of further mortification. His eyes met her over the drawing.

“This is really good.” He spoke, his voice sounding rough. She swallowed slowly, trying to make herself respond. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. As she continued to be a living statue, he removed the coffee pot from her hand and poured himself another cup before taking a seat at the counter.

“You-” She tried to speak, glancing down, remembering the feeling of something cold taking the pot from her. As she glanced around, convinced she was mental, she noticed the hand he was sipping his coffee with. It caught the light, reflecting against the clean, silver metal. “I’m sorry.” She repeated, still in shock. He nodded, still sipping his coffee.

“I have a mark right here, though.” He spoke again, pointing at a spot above his right eyebrow before moving it to the same place on the paper. She nodded, mouth still agape as she studied the mark, mimicking it above the charcoal eyebrow. “Mmm-hmm.” He signaled his approval to her revision. “It’s really quite good-” He glanced at the nametag adorning her yellow uniform before continuing. “Marie.” She nodded once more, still unable to form a sentence. “I’m James.” He took her hovering hand into his metal one, shaking it once before carefully releasing it.

“Your hand-” She began once more before he interjected.

“-Is metal, yeah.” He chuckled before taking another gulp of the cooling coffee. “It’s a bit of a shock to most people. That’s why I tend to keep it covered.” She nodded, feigning a sense of understanding.

“Do you want something to eat? A waffle or eggs or something?” She spoke quickly, trying to break the confusion that was clouding her mind. He shook his head, fishing some cash from his jacket pocket.

“I’ll be fine with the coffee.” He dropped a few bills onto the countertop. “Now, I’d love to let you keep the drawing, but I don’t believe I can.” She shook herself from her daze.

“Wait why? It’s mine.” She protested softly.

“I can’t quite have pretty girls in diners keeping pictures of me where anyone could see.” Obviously the expression on her face displayed her confusion because he continued speaking. “I have some enemies- some people looking for me- so I can’t really leave you to be drawn into their path.” She nodded, once again pretending to understand something she didn’t. He carefully removed the page from the pad, folding it neatly into a four-by-six rectangle, before slipping it into a zippered pocket on the inside of his coat. “Until next time, Marie.” He nodded at her once before slipping out the door without another word.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she slipped from her trance, her eyes following him and then moving to her sketch pad. She blinked wordlessly at it until the slightest bit of orange began to tinge the blackness outside. The only proof of the metal-armed man named James would remain in the crumpled dollar bills, the single mug on the counter, and the slight torn edge at the end of the pad where that drawing disappeared.

She watched as the hands of the clock creeped to five fifty-five, only five minutes remaining until the conclusion of her latest graveyard shift. With one final swipe of a rag across the counter, she switched places with a yawning brunette before scooping her jacket, bag, and sketch pad into her arms and leaving the sleepy diner- and the memory of the crooked smirk- to the twilight hours of the night before.


End file.
